The New York Giants stayed busy on Tuesday by signing two players from this years draft class. A pair of rookies, LB Phillip Dillard and LB Adrian Tracy, both signed with the team today. The terms of their contracts have not been disclosed yet. The two linebackers join rookie safety Chad Jones, as the only three draft selections to sign with the team so far. We expect the rest to follow suit shortly. Just yesterday we were discussing who the possible odd man out would be, if the G-Men decided to sign only six out of the seven draft picks. I am officially out of the discussion because I saw LB/DE Adrian Tracy as the odd man out and I was clearly wrong about that. The fact that Jerry Reese signed these two LB’s makes me feel better. As I said, I want to see all of the Giants players doing well and that includes rookies.

The New York Giants will certainly have enough depth at the linebacker position going into training camp and why not? This could end up being one of the “epic” battles in training camp lore. There are only so many positions available and nobody knows that better then the rookies. Three out of the seven draft picks are signed, leaving only DE Jason Pierre-Paul, DT Linval Joseph, OG Mitch Petrus and P Matt Dodge unsigned for right now.

– Phillip Dillard, LB – 4th round draft choice in 2010 – signed

– Adrian Tracy, LB – 6th round draft choice in 2010 – signed

I would not be surprised to see more players added to this list sometime today. Check back for updates.

Do you like the way Giants GM Jerry Reese has handled the off season thus far? Which of these rookies do you think will impact the team the most in 2010?RD – nygreporter.com

The New York Giants got right to business on Monday morning, following this father’s day weekend. The G-Men cut five players today, on the official first day of summer (summer solstice) and one of them might surprise you. Throughout the minicamp practices, two players were locked in a battle for a starting role. Of course, it isn’t the most sexy position but punters Matt Dodge and Jy Bond have finally found out who won the fight.

Punter Jy Bond was cut from the team today, so it looks like rookie Matt Dodge will be the New York Giants punter this season. Ex-Giants punter Jeff Feagles was spotted working with the guys during minicamp. I loved hearing that he was coaching/helping at the stadium and wonder if GM Jerry Reese has already offered him a coaching job with the team?

The Giants official website said that the team needed to cut these five players in order to make room to sign their draft picks. So far, rookie safety Chad Jones is the only rookie to sign (4-year deal) with the team. Does the fact that the team only released five players, mean that only five out of the remaining six rookies will be signed? Who would seem to be the odd man out in this scenario?

The players who are safe include S Chad Jones. DE Jason Pierre-Paul, LB Phillip Dillard, DT Linval Joseph, OG Mitch Petrus and P Matt Dodge. That leaves rookie LB/DE Adrian Tracy the odd man out from what I can see happening. The only player I can see him going up against out of this draft class, is OG Mitch Petrus. One of those two guys will be gone before the season starts and if I had to bet, I would say Adrian Tracy will be gone. We still need to see who the team decides to replace WR Domenik Hixon with. Hixon will miss the entire 2010 season with a torn ACL. We are almost at the end of June, which is one of the more quiet months for NFL news. Things will begin to pick up speed in July though.

Let’s take a look at the five players who were cut today 6/21/10.

– Jy Bond, P

– Vince Anderson, DB

– Carson Butler, TE

– Lee Campbell, LB

– Micah Johnson, LB

What do you think about the five players that were cut today? Were there any you hoped would make the final roster?

This week, the New York Giants began and completed minicamp activities. We here at the nygreporter, have gotten some excellent coverage from our very own Robert Domaine and already there are a lot of topics to cover. By far, the biggest story making headlines is the loss of WR Domenik Hixon for the season. Hixon tore his ACL during practice on the new turf of New Meadowlands Stadium. Hixon was not an intricate part of the offense, although he was second in the league last season in punt return average. The true story behind the story here is the safety of the turf. Safety Antrel Rolle and wide receiver Steve Smith both seem to believe the turf is to blame for Hixon’s injury, however GM Jerry Reese respectfully disagrees. Rolle claims to have seen the injury and remarked that Hixon “…didn’t make a cut or anything”. Smith thought the turf was “real slippery”, a sentiment Rolle also expressed saying, “I was slipping on each and every play”. Reese and Coughlin both expressed their belief that Hixon did not get caught on the turf and that “it could happen on any surface”. Either way, it will be a developing story to watch for the remainder of the offseason.

Osi Umenyiora has stated that he does not want to be a distraction in camp this season and that what has really been hurting is his pride. According to ESPN, Osi wants the best man to play this season. Osi, who was benched for the last four games of last season, spoke publicly about his unhappiness with his role in the team. Since then, Osi has gotten very quiet. I truly believe he and the rest of the defensive line, will have a good, productive, and effective relationship this season. If they can work together, the returning linemen and the new additions should be poised for a very good season, as Perry leads them back to an attacking pass rushing force.

Amani Toomer is still making headlines even in his retirement. Amani plans to run the New York Marathon this year; he will be running for the New York Road Runners youth program. Timex has sponsored Toomer, promising to donate 1 dollar for every runner he beats. Amani will be the first NFL player to run since Lynn Swan did so in 1993.

One final note, I was thrilled to see the Philadelphia Flyers lose the Stanley Cup. As I told you in my last edition, being close to Philly (as the city is affectionately called) is painful enough, but the comparisons to the Flyers’ post-season run to the Giants’ Super Bowl run was unbearable. Seeing a different outcome was a wonderful, and selfish, surprise.

The 2010 New York Giants finished their final mandatory minicamp practice today. The team will now meet at the University of Albany for training camp on August 1, 2010.

The bad news about WR Domenik Hixon, missing the entire 2010 season, has opened up a can of worms over who will take his spot on the roster. Some question if it will be another WR. Special Teams coach Tom Quinn, has made some remarks about who will replace Hixon. Quinn said that rookie S Chad Jones, CB Aaron Ross, WR Sinorice Moss and WR Mario Manningham will all contribute in helping fill the need at punt returner. That would leave the listener to believe that they will use that roster spot for another position.

Another question that is raised, is about the new turf at the new stadium. The players have complained about it in public and it could be the culprit of the Hixon injury. The coaches and front office seem to be unsure if the turf was at fault and have asked everyone to calm down while they look into it. Just another methodical move made by a classy organization. Obviously, the team doesn’t want their players getting hurt on the field and I’m sure that future concert promoters will have some new guidelines to adhere to.

The news wire has been pretty quiet about QB Eli Manning. Michael Eisen reports, Coach Gilbride said that Easy Eli threw the ball well and that he was pleased with his quarterbacks minicamp performance. Manning said all the right things during his interviews and seems very calm this season. Calm and determined. I expect everyone to say he is a top tier QB by the end of this season. There will be some very interesting Giants records broken in 2010, in my opinion.

Let’s take a look at the highlights from the final day of minicamp.

– Head Coach Tom Coughlin, spoke to the players before dismissing them until training camp on August 1. Giants.com quotes him as saying “What you talk about here is when you make a choice make sure it is in the best interest of you and your family,” Coughlin said. “And always make sure that whatever you decide to do, don’t do anything that you wouldn’t be proud of if it was on the front page.”

– Colonel Greg Gadson, attended practice and spoke to the team after the final minicamp practice today. Gadson has become a source of strength for the team since the 2007 Super Bowl run.

– Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell, told reporters that he messed around with about 3/4 of his defense during practice.

– Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride, said he liked what his saw from the players but also said everything, can always be improved on.

– The New York Giants practiced in the brand new Timex Performance Center.

– Punters Jy Bond and rookie Matt Dodge, had one heck of a battle and Special Teams coach Tom Quinn, still hasn’t given the nod one way or the other.

– Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride said that he believes backup QB Jim Sorgi will be Manning’s number two guy.

– Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell said he was very impressed with rookie MLB Phillip Dillard.

– QB Eli Manning and WR Hakeem Nicks plan on putting in some extra work this offseason to work on routes.

– DE Justin Tuck sat out of practice with a sore foot.

– GM Jerry Reese mentioned yesterday, that a trade might in the future plans of the team. Keep that in mind.

Which New York Giants player do you think had the best minicamp in 2010?

The New York Giants completed day two of their mandatory mini camp today. The team learned that WR Domenik Hixon will miss the 2010 season with a torn ACL. That is not a good way to kick off practices in 2010. The G-men were decimated by injuries in 2009 and I believe I heard a collective “no way man”, when hearing of Hixon’s misfortune at practice yesterday. The first injured reserve victim of the new year is a tough loss for Giants fans to accept. It is possible that the team could bring in another MLB to keep things interesting. More then likely, Giants GM Jerry Reese, will bring in or promote another wide receiver though.

Former Giants WR David Tyree stopped by for a visit recently, perhaps the team may consider bringing him back. We know that he is a special teams guy, who has made the pro bowl during his rookie year. We need help in that area and I hear he is pretty good as a WR, when you need someone to make a clutch catch. You never know, right?

The Giants had a morning session and an afternoon session again today, mimicking the schedule from yesterday. We are now only six weeks away from the beginning of training camp in Albany, New York. I’m curious to see who the team will add to the roster to replace Hixon. I’m sure that we will not have to wait long to find out.

Let’s take a look at some of the bullet points from the Giants practice today.

– WR Domenik Hixon is out for the 2010 season. He has a torn ACL. Get well soon Dom!

– WR Ramses Barden, is catching a lot of passes in practice and getting praise from the coaches. He had another good practice today.

– TE Kevin Boss will be ready for training camp. He is very optimistic and eager to get on the field.

– RB Andre Brown has shown some speed and explosiveness on the field. It appears he is healed up after missing the entire 2009 season (his rookie year).

– OT William Beatty is really being used quite a bit with the first team. This second year player could have a breakout year.

– WR Hakeem Nicks missed the morning practice but played in the afternoon. He seems to be doing fine now.

– Giants DC Perry Fewell has been experimenting like a mad scientist, now that he has all the defensive players in front of him. He is well liked so far.

– Giants GM Jerry Reese was reported to have said that a trade for another player is still a possibility. This is shocking if the reports are correct, I’ve never heard Jerry Reese talk publicly about a trade.

The New York Giants have reported that WR Domenik Hixon will miss the entire 2010 season. Hixon will have surgery on a torn ACL in the next two or three weeks. Domenik Hixon is a tall receiver (6’2″) who has worked his tail off since coming to the Giants. Team reports say that Hixon will have his non guaranteed contract honored, since he was injured during practice. This is not a very good way to christen the brand new stadium. The culprit is said to have been the new turf that was put in at the stadium (hopefully, we had local guys do the job and didn’t outsource the job to a Texas or Philadelphia company). Hixon planted his foot into the new turf and had it get stuck, twisting his leg and knee while trying to release it. You can bet your last dollar that there will be some investigations into the new field and any repairs that need to made, will be done so swiftly.

Hixon has had a rocky three year career with Big Blue and just a couple of months ago, signed a one year contract with the G-men. He most likely would have been used on special teams in 2010, returning punts and kick offs. Now that WR’s Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, have all shown what they can do on the field, they will be used as the primary three wide receivers in 2010. Of course, things can change at any moment but those three seem to have a lock on the three starting roles.

Be sure to come back and check out today’s (day two) mini camp wrap up.

Do you think that WR Domenik Hixon’s season ending surgery will end his stay with the New York Giants?

The New York Giants have completed their afternoon session of the mandatory mini camp, which began this morning. Early estimates by the associated press say about 7,000 New York Giants fans attended the “open practice”. The team advertised free tickets to the practice on their website, Giants.com and we also wrote an article about it here. It was a great day to be at the stadium because the weather was perfect.

The New York Giants finished their first day of a three day mandatory mini camp. There was a minor scuffle between the offensive and defensive lineman today during the afternoon practice, it was broken up very quickly and all was forgiven. Reportedly, Pierre-Paul and Osi were locked up with some offensive lineman. It’s good to see the two team mates sticking together, even if it was a short and meaningless scuffle. When the team gets to Albany it might not be such a minor thing. I expect some huge battles for starting roles on the defense, especially at the linebacker and defensive linemen positions.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the afternoon practice. Check out Giants.com for video of player interviews.

– WR Domenik Hixon went down grabbing his knee shortly before 3 PM EST. He remained on the sidelines with his knee wrapped up and did not return to practice.

– QB Eli Manning had a good practice and said he is very excited for the new season. He looks like he put on some muscle during the off season.

– CB Aaron Ross is on the field and getting back into fighting shape. He will surely be getting the rust off and hopefully returning to form in 2010.

– LT William Beatty has been playing with the first team offensive linemen. LT David Diehl has been moved to the LG position with the first team.

– Punters Matt Dodge and Jy Bond have a battle going on. Both of them have been impressive today. Dodge kicks further then Bond but Bond has more hang time.

– LB Clint Sintim owned up to having a less then acceptable rookie season and vows to be better in 2010. I believe him.

– S Kenny Phillips was all smiles after practice, while being interviewed in the locker room. He still remains a question mark for the season.

– DT Justin Tuck had a good practice and sounds like he is all business for this season.

– DE Osi Umenyiora has given new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell a good grade so far. Osi expects to have a solid season.

– The Giants defense has been experimenting with four defensive ends (Tuck, Kiwi, Osi, JPP) during mini camp.

Who do you expect the 2010 breakout player for the New York Giants will be?

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